"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord.  I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work"-Philippians 4:1 (NLT).

The crown Paul is speaking of is the reward, the prize, for influencing others to righteous living.  "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? (1 Thessalonians 2:19).  Paul was speaking to the two churches established in Greece:  the church in Philippi and Thessalonica.  The Greeks, famous for their games, awarded victors with crowns...stephanos.  Influencing others to a life of Christianity is the race we, as the family of God, are all entered in as participators   This isn't a spectator sport and it's not a game...it's life or death.  Run thus!